In the Case of Light Yagami
by SaiyanLegend1
Summary: Light Yagami had only one wish. To be able to show his loved ones that he was not cold and unfeeling, but that if he drew them too close...he might kill them.
1. Musings and Migraines

Okay this is my first attempt at Death Note. I enjoy constructive criticism...."You suck!" is not constructive...just to clarify lol.

**Warning!** This story starts out canon...but I can assure you its going to deviate rather violently soon. not just in the 'L falls for Light' aspect either. Regardless of the bizzare turns the plot takes...I will be doing my damn best to keep everyone in character...This means no bashing of characters even if I happen to not care for them. Just because I don't like Misa doesn't mean everyone would hate her.....same with Near...

As you saw above, this is a LightxL story with other pairings on the side so if your not into boyxboy stuff go ahead and leave now. However if you do like it then feel free to ignore this part of the warning.

Just to give everyone fair warning...my updates tend to be quite sporadic...I could post 3 times a week, a few times a month, or once a year...depends on if I get frustrated with writer's block or not. As I have difficulty breaking that horrid wall that prevents thought from reaching paper I really love reviews that give suggestions. You have no idea how much it helps.

Thank you for your patience.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note...If I did L would be chained to me instead of Light lol.

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

Light gazed blankly at the screen before him. Outwardly he was completely focused on the case data, but on the inside he was desperately trying to avoid panic at his own actions earlier that day. Never before had the teen been reduced to such a barbaric display of force…and it worried him immensely.

"_I…I hit him…I hit Ryuzaki. Why would I do that?! Regardless of how irritated I was at him that's still no reason for me to have gone that far._" The entire brawl in Misa's room earlier that day had been speeding through his mind endlessly since it had happened. The thing that worried him the most about the whole ordeal was surprisingly not the fight itself, but the fact that Ryuzaki had flown so far with the force of a single punch. Light himself had actually been yanked a few feet by the chain that had connected the two. "_It's just too strange…I've never really prided myself on being physically strong…just fit enough to not grow tired when playing tennis or any other sport. Yet, I knocked Ryuzaki across the room with a single punch._"

Light knew he was missing something important, he simply could not for the life of him figure out what. If that was not enough, a familiar stabbing sensation was making itself known behind his doe brown eyes. Leaning an elbow onto the desk he was currently stationed at, the teen pressed the heel of his palm to his left eye futilely in an attempt to relieve the quickly building pressure.

"Ugh…not again…" Light could hear the chain moving in his, now painfully over receptive, ears as L turned to observe his suspects change in behavior. Light ignored him however, as the room was now making an attempt to begin spinning. Now sitting hunched over and covering both eyes in an attempt to block out the now horribly offensive light the computers were omitting, Light tried to talk quietly but loud enough to be heard. "…Ugh…Dad?" The distressed teen distantly heard his father stand in response. Screwing his eyes shut he put out one hand in silent askance for something as he slowly continued. "You…wouldn't have them…on you…would you?" Light felt his father gently place his hand on his shoulder as he was turned to face him. Light had returned to putting as much pressure as was safe to his eyes to stop that awful sensation of having the backs of them stabbed with needles. It didn't help that putting pressure to his face this way reminded him of the terrible bruise that was forming on his cheek thanks to a well placed kick from L.

"Yes Light I have them, but you need to wait to take it until you're in bed." Sorichiro spoke quietly, concern thickly lacing his words. Light took a hitching sigh and very slowly nodded his head. Turning to L, Sorichiro spoke in the same tone, "Ryuzaki, Light needs to be in bed right now. These…migraines don't happen often, but when they do he needs to be removed from every kind of outward input he can…" L gazed calculatingly first at Chief Yagami, then at Light who was now trembling in his chair as he appeared to be restraining himself from ripping out his own eyes. The rest of the task force was looking at Light worriedly and L concluded that if he refused it would cause an uproar that would cause his suspects health to deteriorate even more.

"Very well Yagami-san. If you would assist your son, he and I shall retreat to our room until he recovers." The introverted detective was mindful of the volume at which he spoke as every minute sound caused the teen he was chained to, to flinch as though someone had just screamed in his ear.

Ten minutes and twenty floors later had Sorichiro setting his son onto the bed and fishing a medicine bottle out of his pocket. Pulling out a single pill he handed it to his son and helped him with a small glass of water. After about five minutes of insuring his son would be comfortable, he left with a grateful nod in L's direction.

* * *

**Eyes were on him, he could feel it. Everywhere he looked, every dark corner menacing red eyes were on him. Before Light could even think to flee from those terrible eyes, horrible and excruciating pain exploded in his chest. Light didn't know for how long he suffered from this torment only that he could do nothing against it, even his voice failed him as he instinctively tried to cry out as his legs gave way. Before Light's body could fall he was caught by something…something unseen…something cold as death…something frightening. He could feel breath caress his ear as the unseen spoke without speaking.**

"_**With every tear**_

_**The world shall fear."**_

* * *

Light bolted upright breathing heavily, his mind barely registering the sensation of the chain being pulled taut and a resounding thud on the other side of the bed he rested in. Slowly the teen's mind returned to rationality and heard a muffled groan from the other side of the bed. Moving over slightly to investigate the groan revealed L gingerly rubbing his back while half sprawled out on the floor looking up and him accusingly. Not wanting a repeat of what happened in Misa's room, Light moved to crouch by the wild haired detective.

"Ah, sorry about that Ryuzaki. Are you ok?" L stopped for a moment to give him a measuring look before standing, Light following soon after.

"Light-kun had stopped breathing. I was merely attempting to resuscitate him when he revived and knocked me to the floor." Light had gone very pale during L's explanation

_Light-kun had stopped breathing._

_Light-kun had stopped breathing._

"I…stopped breathing?" That was definitely NOT what he wanted to hear after a dream like he had just had. The brunette shivered at the fading memory.

_With every tear_

_The world shall fear._

L looked curiously into Light's unfocused eyes, perplexed at the haunted expression the teen wore.

"Was Light-kun experiencing a nightmare?" Light snapped out of his thoughts to focus on L. The teen hesitated for a moment before nodding. L cocked his head to the side. "What about?" Light sighed before seating himself on the edge of the bed.

"Not much to it really. I couldn't see anything…It…felt like…like someone was trying to rip my heart out of my chest with their bare hands…." Light figured L was using this dream to gauge his percentages for the Kira case…but Light didn't care. It felt good to talk about it. It was in this mind set that the words from his dream fell from his lips in a hushed whisper. "With every tear….The world shall fear." Looking up, the brunette saw an unreadable expression on the detectives face, but Light finished before he could be interrupted. "I'm not sure what that means…all I know is whatever it was that was causing the pain in my dream…that's what said it." It didn't really seem as if L had heard him at all. The same unreadable expression rested on his face. Light jolted when he felt fingertips ghost over his cheek. He hadn't even seen L move!

"Light-kun…Why are you no longer injured?" Baffled, Light looked at L. Acute confusion traced every line of his face as L stood and pulled the young genius into the bathroom and turned on the light. The dark eyed insomniac stood by the sink expectantly then glanced at the mirror as a silent instruction. Still confused, Light turned to his own reflection and stared in muted shock. The massive bruise L had given him only hours ago that trailed from his high cheekbone to the soft curve of his jaw….was gone.

* * *

Yeah I know that was wierd. Anyway, feel free to guess where the story is going. It's late but I'm feeling kinda inspired to write more so unless I get stuck halfway through I should have the next chapter up soon.

Read & Review!

It makes me smile

And so will you!


	2. The First Tear Falls

Well here's chapter two. Gotta say this one was interesting. I knew what I wanted to happen I just wasn't entirely sure what the circumstances would be. I apologize to everyone in advance, this story has a lot of nessecary Light abuse. I love him to death but in the beginning he's prolly gonna suffer a lot.

**To my reviewers**: I'm so glad you all like it so far. If you have any questions on the story from here on out I'm going to be placing the answers in the AN before the chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If I did Light and L would have at least kissed on screen before he died lol.

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

Light stood rooted in place in front of the bathroom mirror running confused fingers over previously bruised skin. L shifted slightly.

"I assume from Light-kun's reaction that he has no idea how this happened?" the young genius moved his gaze to his friend's reflection before replying.

"Ryuzaki…How would I know how this happened? Bruises that big don't just disappear like this." Light hated the persistent confusion he had been experiencing for the last few weeks. If it wasn't the holes in his otherwise pristine memory, it was his inexplicable mood swings, or his bruises miraculously healing. The teen shook his head. "This is getting us nowhere and the medication is still making me tired I'm going back to sleep." Light turned and began making his way towards the bed, until he felt the chain pull tight.

"Light-kun has slept for eight hours, which is sufficient time for rest." Light sighed at the detective.

"Yes Ryuzaki that's true when you're not under the influence of medication that lasts for ten hours. You may as well let me sleep since I'll be useless for processing information until the effects wear off." Light's speech was beginning to slur now that the adrenaline and shock were starting to wear off. L took note that the brunette's posture was beginning to slump and moved to the bed quietly seating himself in his favored position above the covers while Light got comfortable.

"I assume Light-kun will not mind if I continue work as he rests?" L heard a slurred response muffled by a pillow that sounded a bit like 'Do whatever you want…' L nodded and pulled a laptop off the nightstand listening to the teen's breathing deepen and even out almost instantly. The detective kept an ear trained on the brunette's breathing just in case the young genius had a repeat of what had occurred earlier.

* * *

Light threw himself into his work the next day barely stopping long enough for meals. Not only was he trying to push away thoughts of what had happened the night before, but he also felt bad for all he had put Ryuzaki through yesterday. The only way the brunette thought to apologize was to put every ounce of effort he had into the case today.

The wild haired detective still seemed to be in a slump as he crouched backwards in his chair blatantly not making any conscious effort on the case. Light shook his head, eyes still trained on his monitor. Suddenly the teen blinked, then ran back through the last twenty or so files and reread them. Doe like eyes brightening considerably, Light called out to the depressed insomniac.

"Ryuzaki, I know you're not feeling up to it but come over here for a second." The ensuing conversation between the two seemed to put the intensity back in his friend's gaze. "So, are you feeling a bit more motivated now?"

* * *

The whole day had been long and mentally exhausting, but it was worth it in Light's opinion. With a new lead the task force could begin pursuing Kira again. Light and L were now riding the elevator up towards their room.

"I must say Light-kun worked much harder than usual today. Why would he only feel the need for such effort now I wonder?" Light ignored the obvious bait of the statement still mindful of how their last fight had ended. The teen decided instead to answer in accordance with his thoughts.

"Well Ryuzaki, to be honest you looked kind of miserable and I was just trying to help. You always seemed much happier while working on the case." L gazed at the teen for a long moment before responding.

"I imagine Kira would want me to withdraw from the case." Light kept a firm hold on his patience which seemed to be waning anomalously fast.

"Yeah I imagine he would. Which is why it's all the more important that you don't quit." Light thought for a minute before continuing in a sly tone. "I mean…you wouldn't want him to win…would you?" '_I refuse to be the one to break first Ryuzaki._' Light held back a grin as L's lips pursed into a thin line.

"Light-kun has learned remarkable restraint in the space of twenty four hours." Light flinched at the comment. '_Ouch, touché Ryuzaki.'_ Light stopped the elevator one floor short and stepped out. "What is Light-kun doing?" L moved out of the elevator as well, peering curiously at the doe eyed boy.

"I need to stretch a bit before going to bed, so I figured we could walk the last floor." L shrugged as he began walking in stride with the teen.

"Whatever helps Light-kun sleep…" Light grinned mischievously as they began ascending the stairs to the next floor.

"Maybe all I need is a warm body to sleep next to." L froze in place on the top step. Light noticed too late and ran into him loosing his balance and rocking backward. The teen thrust his hands out in an attempt to latch onto something solid. Light only succeeded in grabbing L's shoulder, causing the two of them to tumble down the stairs. The two young men landed at the bottom with an audible thud, Light's head cracking against the hard floor. Both sat winded and groaning in an undignified heap on the floor for a few moments. "Ugh….Jeez Ryuzaki it was a joke."

"Not a very humorous joke Light-kun, now get off of me." Light groaned as the side of his head throbbed and his vision doubled for a moment.

"I'd love to move Ryuzaki, unfortunately you're crushing both of my hands right now." L 'hmmed' and they began untangling themselves. "Ugh…Ryuzaki I can't see straight. I'm seeing two of everything." L looked to the teen and noted he couldn't seem to focus completely and was swaying on the spot, and had a mid sized cut running along his left temple.

"It appears Light-kun has suffered a concussion." Light slumped against L's arm and muttered under his breath.

"Oh goody, that's just what I need." L sighed and pulled Light's arm over his shoulder and assisted him back to their room. Not long after getting Light situated on the bed a knock came at the door before Watari walked in with a first aid kit.

"Ah Watari. We appear to be becoming rather clumsy." Something that sounded suspiciously like a snort came from Light and L fixed him with a blank look. Watari shook his head and pulled up a chair to sit by Light, and began to tend to the cut on his head. Light hissed at the sting of disinfectant against his temple and a lone tear escaped his eye as he screwed them shut. As Watari checked the teen over for other injuries he spoke.

"Yagami-kun I think it would be wise for you to leave the case to the taskforce for a few days. Ryuzaki was correct, you have a concussion." Unfocused doe brown eyes shot open as the brunette attempted to center his sight on the man tending him.

"But, Watari-san we just got a new lead!" Watari gently pushed the young genius back to lie down. It was remarkable to him how similar the boy was to his charge sometimes. Light huffed before resigning himself to the order. A strange thought occurred to Light as Watari left the room. '_I wonder…If that bruise I had healed up in a few hours…maybe I'll at least be able to see straight tomorrow…_' Light's head throbbed painfully as he crawled beneath the covers. "Good night Ryuzaki." The bed jostled slightly as the detective shifted behind him.

"Ah, good night Light-kun"

* * *

**Light's eyes snapped open and looked around wildly. Nothing…again…The teen turned when he heard something like a water drop. As he went to move towards the sound he found his motion was slowed…as if wading through something. Looking down the teens eyes widened in horror. He was wading knee deep in blood! Light discovered once more that he was completely immobile and those cold unseen hands caressed his face again.**

"_**Though you struggle towards the dawn**_

_**In the end you are but a pawn"**_

**Suddenly, Light reeled back as what felt like a burning iron rod was shoved through his left eye socket. Light screamed…Screamed till his throat was raw clawing at the intangible pain…screaming…clawing…crying…anything to make it stop.**

**Distantly, Light thought he heard shouting. It was becoming louder. All at once the side of his head began to throb.**

* * *

Light shot up in bed, chest heaving. Feeling a feather light touch on his shoulder, the teen snapped his head around to see Ryuzaki looking slightly frightened. Several agonizing minutes passed and Light noticed he had a hand clamped over his left eye and had a pretty good idea of what must've happened. Taking a shaky breath, Light lowered both his hand and his head not looking at L as he spoke.

"What happened Ryuzaki? I know what I dreamed, but what did you see?" L retracted his hand and sat quietly for several moments before replying.

"Light-kun was quiet for two hours before he began shifting in his dreams. After a few minutes Light-kun began screaming, covering his face with one hand and striking the headboard with the other. I attempted to wake Light-kun but was unsuccessful until I kicked his head." Light listened carefully as his friend laid out everything that had happened in the waking world. A small smirk crossed Light's lips.

"You kicked me in order to wake me up?" L exhaled loudly.

"Light-kun is a remarkably deep sleeper." L observed his suspect for a moment before drawing a new conclusion. "Light-kun's vision has evened out?" It wasn't a question and they both knew it. Light nodded and looked up at the detective.

"Lucky me…what other things will my body do to make me look suspicious I wonder." L's expression turned grave after he locked eyes with the teen. Light frowned. "Don't tell me…you see something else weird this time." L leaned over to his nightstand and pulled a small mirror out before handing it to the brunette. Light sighed and observed his reflection. It only took half a second for all the blood to drain from his face as he stared in mute horror at his reflection.

Light's left eye was now the color of the blood from his dream.

* * *

Yeah I wonder if anyone saw that coming lol. Another apology is required for the Light abuse I think. In my opinion the fights between Light and L would be rather passive like the one in the elevator. Just so it is known...Light really was just joking with the warm body comment. He figured he could get a rise out of L with a remark like that. It probably would've worked too if they hadn't fallen down the stairs lol.

Read & Reveiw

It makes me smile

And you will too!


	3. Hugs and Cookies

Bah! This is getting tougher to write. I hope I'm doing ok. This chapter marks the beginning of the path that will lead us out of canon territory. Hope that doesn't scare you too much lol.

Now on to replying to your questions...even if there was only one lol.

**AuraBlackWolf:** Sorry if I wasn't clear on this. Light's left eye has simply changed color from brown to red. I'm glad you like the dreams. To be honest, when I have nightmares they are quite short like Light's but short as they are they always manage to freak me out. Sorry about the cliffhanger...not that this chapter will give you much relief from that lol. My chapters always seem to end like that.

That's it for my first answers section. I love it when I'm asked things about my stories. It makes me think about it more.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If I did I'd be smart enough to come up with something witty to put here lol.

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

Light sat with his back against the headboard, his face resting against his knees. He didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life the teen's mind could not come up with a reasonable explanation, and he felt completely lost. He was even beginning to believe L's deduction about his being Kira at some point.

"Light-kun has been quiet for two whole hours. This is quite unusual for him." Light grunted not moving from his spot, nor bothering to raise his head when he replied.

"Yeah…You know what else is unusual Ryuzaki? When an eye changes color for no apparent reason and when bruises and concussions heal up in the space of a few hours." L cocked his head to the side as he observed the young genius through the darkness of the room.

"Yes that is quite true Light-kun." Light growled before snapping his head up and leveling a full force glare at the insomniac he was currently sharing bed space with.

"Be serious Ryuzaki! This isn't a game! Could you at least **try** to act like the friend you claim to be? I could really use one right about now." Light's bloodstained eye glinted angrily in the darkness before he once again hid his face in his knees. L was not certain how to proceed after the teen's outburst. The boy practically asked the detective for comfort and that was something he had no experience with at all. Tentatively L reached out and placed a pale hand on Light's shoulder. Light moved his head just enough to see the concentration set in the usually dark expressionless eyes. It occurred to the brunette that acts of comfort were probably foreign to the raven haired man and figured that he should just show him what he needed at the moment and let him keep up.

Without talking Light simply moved and laid his head against L's shoulder. This lead to a great deal of uncomfortable shifting on the detective's part as he was unaccustomed to such contact. That was what Light figured at least, so he remained passive as L attempted to find a comfortable place with the foreign added weight of the teen leaning against him.

L finally sat still, but still tense at the contact he was receiving. The detective was now completely out of his element and unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"This is really bothering me Ryuzaki. I have no real way to explain what's happening to me." L turned wide black eyes to the teen leaning against him.

"Well Light-kun the likelihood that you are Kira would have risen exponentially if you were not bothered by such changes." Light shifted his position slightly before spitting out a sharp response.

"If you're trying to make me feel better Ryuzaki, you're doing a hell of a job." For all of L's genius it only just occurred to him that the brunette, that had temporarily seized ownership of his shoulder, was truly distressed and was using simple contact as a way to keep himself calm. With that revelation the wild haired detective clamped his mouth shut. He conceded, even if only in his head, that temporary loss of personal space was far easier to deal with then a panic attack.

* * *

L's dark eyes snapped open disoriented and confused. It took the detective a few agonizing seconds to realize he was staring at the ceiling of the room he currently shared with his suspect. '_I fell asleep?_' Waiting a few moments for his mind to restart, L moved to sit up only to realize he was being pinned by dead weight against his chest. The pale man looked down to see the top of Light's head. Dark eyes widened in dawning understanding of the position he was currently in.

Light was fast asleep and using L's entire torso as a makeshift body pillow. The teen's head rested against his shoulder and his arms were wrapped securely around the detective's waist. L took a deep breath to keep calm, but was unaware of the light dusting of color rising on his pale cheeks.

"Light-kun. Light-kun wake up." Light shifted and muttered something incoherent before L felt lashes flutter against his collarbone. The teen looked up blearily. The red of Light's left eye now stood out starkly against his face in the morning light. Eyes focused on him before moving off of the detective.

"Sorry about that Ryuzaki. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." L merely shifted into his customary position. Looking at the young brunette L had to fight to keep the confusion from showing on his face. '_Why does he look so amused?_' "I'll try not to do that again." It was true. There was barely contained mirth dancing in Light's now bi-colored eyes.

"Light-kun, what may I ask do you find so amusing?" Light shook his head before replying.

"You're blushing Ryuzaki." A small chuckle forced its way through the teen's lips before he clamped down on it. That was a mistake, as more began spilling from the young genius' mouth. His body shook as he attempted to keep himself under control, his laughter escaping in small rasps of air. "I'm-I'm sorry Ryuzaki. I-I'm not trying to laugh at you…It's j-just…" '_…so cute._' He silently finished. L could feel his blush deepening as the boy attempted to restrain his mirth.

"Yes well, if you're quite finished, I would like the chance to bathe before we get started today." With that, L hopped off the bed and stalked away to the bathroom leaving Light to be dragged along.

* * *

Regardless of Light's swift recovery the chained geniuses still remained in their rooms for the sake of appearances. The teen was supposed to be injured after all.

L took note that Light had been pointedly avoiding looking at reflective surfaces since they had awakened this morning. A soft knock pulled the detective from his musings as Watari quietly entered with a tray of assorted cakes and a small tin. After depositing the cakes near his charge the old caregiver offered the small tin to Light.

"Amane-san was made aware of your unfortunate accident and asked that I give you these." Perplexed, Light took the tin from Watari and popped it open to find an envelope and a dozen or so chocolate covered star shaped cookies. The teen shook his head bemusedly as he opened the envelope.

_Light,_

_I heard what happened! I hope you're ok. This never would have happened if Ryuzaki hadn't put that silly chain on your wrist. Watari told me I'm not allowed to see you until you get better. I don't think that's really fair, but since I can't see you I made these cookies for you instead._

_Hope you feel better soon,_

_Misa XOXO_

Light sighed and looked up to thank Watari only to see another object being offered to him, this one being a bit smaller. Taking the small plastic container, Light discovered they were contact lenses…in his eye color no less!

"Ryuzaki feels that it would be detrimental to the morale of the taskforce if the nature of your condition was revealed. For the time being only he and I will be aware of any sort of changes that may occur." Light sagged a bit in his seat as an invisible weight seemed to be lifted from his shoulders.

"Thank you so much for that." Watari gave a gentle smile to the teen before excusing himself. L addressed the brunette as soon as Watari was out of the room.

"Light-kun may I ask you something?" Light lifted startled bi-colored eyes to the detective he was chained to. The sudden formality the other was using throwing him off balance momentarily. "Why do you wish to keep these changes a secret from the taskforce?" Light let out a small breath. He had thought it was going to be a more difficult question than that.

"I don't want to try giving them an explanation until I'm sure that I know what I'm talking about." When L gave no indication of a response, Light thought for a moment about the connection between his nightmares and the changes he was currently experiencing. A chill ran down the brilliant teen's spine as a particularly terrible idea presented itself. "Ryuzaki," The grave tone in the brunette's voice was enough to capture the introverted detective's attention. "I have a little theory behind my changes…I don't like it, but I believe it's a valid one." L trained the full force of his unwavering gaze upon the teen.

"What per say is that theory Light-kun?" Light took a deep breath, as if about to jump to his death.

"I think Kira is behind it…" L's normally wide eyes narrowed in deep thought before settling his piercing gaze back on his suspect.

"Explain."

* * *

AUUUGGGGHHH!! How could I leave it there?!! Quite simple really. It's almost 3 AM and I can't think straight after having been up for more than 24 hours straight. I'm sorry to my loyal readers about making a habit of writing cliffys but it helps me to pick up where I leave off after I've left the story to sit for a few hours while I sleep....huh...sleep what a concept. I need to lay off the Spike that stuff's potent. Ok definately going to sleep now.

Read & Review

It makes me smile

And you will too


	4. Physical Revelations

Well here's the next chapter. I feel like the flow is improving a bit, but let me know if that's just in my head. We're moving farther out of canon territory this chapter and it kinda makes me nervous lol.

I may not have recieved any questions this time around, but there is still a review that requires a response.

**Helen N.:** OMG you have no idea how much a review like this means to me! I'll try to reread my content a little more carefully from now on. Commas were always my big weakness. I either put in too many or not enough lol. Constructive criticisim is something that makes me happy because it will keep me improving. I hope that you enjoy this next chapter too. If the grammar gets too bad I'll find a beta...though I'm sure I'll be blushing about it once I get into the touchy/kissy content later lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If I did I would take Light's potato chips...and EAT THEM!!!

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

After L had demanded an explanation, Light had gone quiet, trying to figure out how to best relay the information running rampant in his cluttered mind.

"Where to begin…" L cocked his head to the side in question, messy bangs covering one dark circled eye.

"If I did not know better Light-kun, I would say you are stalling for time." The brunette's eyes flicked to the detective's briefly in annoyance before pressing on.

"You remember the fight we had a couple of days ago?" the pale man did not respond, but rather his hand traveled from its customary place at his lips to the fading bruise high on his cheek. Light winced internally before continuing. "I've never been so quick to anger before…nor have I ever struck anyone that hard. In other words, I didn't think it was physically possible for me to hit you hard enough to move not only you…but myself as well." L's brows drew down in deep thought before raising them up in a silent request to continue. "Then as you know…I had that odd nightmare and…stopped breathing." Light still had a hard time with that fact…knowing he could have died if he hadn't woken up.

"Light-kun believes that these dreams hold some other meaning to them?" Light nodded quickly.

"Yes, because after we fell down the stairs…sorry about that by the way, I ended up dreaming again if you recall." At this Light grimaced as he motioned towards his left eye.

"You feel there was a connection to this dream and your change Light-kun?" Light sighed when he heard the question and quickly finished his explanation before he lost his nerve.

"Yes Ryuzaki, in this most recent dream…it felt as if someone was gouging my left eye out. In both dreams there were consistent elements. When the dreams begin, I can't see anything and I either can't move or I'm impeded by something. Also, I experience horrible pain of some kind. Most importantly though, is that someone speaks to me in both dreams. It's always brief and I can never see this person. In fact it's almost like an instinct…I know that the voice…has no body…"

"Kira. You believe that is the voice of Kira." It wasn't a question and Light knew it.

"Yes…I think its Kira. There's no other rational explanation…he called me a pawn in the second dream." L leapt from his seat without a second thought and Light trailed confusedly behind him as the detective entered their bedroom and began rummaging through a small drawer on his nightstand.

"Ryuzaki, what are you…" Light trailed off as L returned with a dark piece of cloth that he instantly tied about the left side of the teen's face. "Ryuzaki what are you doing!?" L backed off and let out a small breath.

"If we are to take this theory seriously Light-kun, and your dreams to be taken into account, it is quite possible that Kira could intend to use you as a means to spy on his foes." Light's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, you mean you don't suspect me of being Kira anymore?" There was no way it was that simple. It couldn't be that simple.

"I mean that I am considering all possibilities Light-kun. You are not cleared until there is evidence to prove it. A dream is not physical evidence, however as it stands, Kira does not have to be present to commit murder either. As much as you wish to clear your name Light-kun, further investigation into your new condition must come first." Light sighed but nodded all the same. As far as the young genius was concerned, those goals were one in the same.

* * *

Light stood stock still in the sterile white room gazing through one eye nervously at Watari.

"Let me get this right…Watari, you're a licensed doctor." Watari smiled good naturedly and nodded even as Light turned to the wild haired man to his left. "And you want me to get a physical done." L gazed levelly at the teen as he made an affirmative sound. "….Under surveillance?" The pale man cocked his head to the side in question.

"Light-kun, why are you having difficulty with such a simple thing? I am not leaving the room and I believe you already know the reason why. Do not make me repeat myself." Light sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day as he scratched at the fabric covering his left eye. Sharing living space and changing clothes and showering together weren't ever a problem. He had already learned to deal with that from experience at school. Ryuzaki however, was asking to not be bothered by his presence while he was being given a physical examination…by Watari of all people! Light tried to shake it off. Watari wasn't so bad so he could deal with that part of this whole ordeal. The teen could not, however, come up with anything about L's presence to console himself. The best he could do was remember that Ryuzaki was stubborn and would not be moved over something the sleep deprived man likely saw as trivial.

"Alright Watari…what comes first?" Light inwardly flinched at how utterly defeated he sounded. Watari walked Light over to the examination table and motioned for him to sit down as he removed the cloth from around his eye.

Things went relatively smoothly until about the time Watari asked him to remove his shirt. At which point, Light was forced to be reminded that Ryuzaki was indeed in the room with them as he had to remove the handcuff briefly so Light could do so. As Watari went about listening to his heart, lungs and checking his blood pressure he began asking questions.

"Yagami-kun, if possible I will need to know any medical history that I may not be aware of." Light nodded silently as he took deep breaths against the stethoscope pressed over his heart.

"Well, I've suffered from chronic migraines since I was young. I was also diagnosed with a mild case of schizophrenia. My father wouldn't hear it…but it never got any worse so the doctor never pressed. It's been the same thing for years." During this Watari had pulled out a blood pressure cuff and attached it to the teen's arm.

"What exactly is it you suffer from Yagami-kun?" The brunette turned his eyes towards the ceiling.

"I…hear music…Never words or anything, at least nothing intelligible. It's usually pretty quiet unless I focus on it." Watari 'hmmed' as he continued on, writing this and that down on a small pad of paper as he proceeded.

"Just the essentials please Yagami-kun." Light sighed as he removed his jeans, shoes, and socks and sat back up on the examination table in a pair of black boxers. "Are you sexually active Yagami-kun?" A pale pink rose to the brunette's cheeks at the question.

"Um…Watari, you do remember that I'm chained to someone right? I couldn't be if I wanted to." The elderly man chuckled lightly and nodded.

"Very well then Yagami-kun, I'll rephrase the question. Have you ever been sexually active?" The light flush never left the young genius' face.

"Yes I have been, and before you ask it's been safe, so I haven't contracted anything as far as I'm aware." Light chanced a look at L, entirely suspecting the detective would be silently laughing at him. Instead, L's face was slightly averted and was chewing on his thumb rather harshly, and looking quite distressed. '_This is as difficult for me as it is for you._' The statement echoed lightly in the brilliant teen's head. Light had forgotten that the detective had said that. He always acted completely unfazed about everything, so Light had assumed that it really didn't bother the pale man as much as it did him. The brunette took a moment to marvel at L's almost unshakeable poker face before snapping back to the present.

* * *

After everything was said and done, it wasn't quite as bad as Light thought it would be. This could perhaps be attributed to the teen's little revelation in the examination room. Somehow it made it more bearable to know that he wasn't the only one that was uncomfortable.

Now that Light gave it some thought, he was probably more comfortable with the situation than L was in the grand scheme of things. Light was accustomed to sharing space with others. L, on the other hand…if his reaction to human contact was anything to go by, then L was likely unaccustomed to sharing a building with others let alone living space. It was obvious that the detective had become overly sensitive to touch, due to his reaction to the kind of closeness in which they had found themselves that morning. Light shook his head. He had resigned himself to accidents of that nature the moment the cuff had been attached to his wrist, but it had become clear to the teen that L hadn't even considered it.

Light ran a hand through his auburn hair, relieved that Watari had insisted the blindfold wasn't practical since anything Kira may have wanted to see through Light had already been seen. He was relieved, but at the same time worried. If Kira was using him as a spy, he might be falling under his control, which didn't bode well for him.

"Ryuzaki, I'm feeling kind of tired. You think we can keep up the investigation in our room? I just need a break…All of this is really starting to wear on me." Light heard a small exhalation of breath before the detective deviated his path to head for their shared living space. "Are you alright Ryuzaki?" Light gazed slightly concerned at the raven haired genius' back. He was a lot tenser than was usual. He hadn't said a word since Light's physical either.

"I am well Light-kun, why do you ask?" L's voice held none of the tension that his body was clearly displaying. Light didn't respond. What could he say that wouldn't cause the older man to completely clam up? Light shrugged as he figured that the worst thing that would happen is that his likelihood of being Kira would be raised for no good reason.

"You look tense and you've been pretty quiet for a while. I thought there might be something wrong." The two geniuses had crossed the threshold of their room as Light finished speaking.

"I have nothing to talk about Light-kun. That is why I am quiet." L climbed up onto the bed and assumed his customary crouch on top of the covers. Light lay back onto the bed and folded his hands behind his head. Out of the corner of his eye the teen dimly realized the insomniac wasn't making any move for his laptop. Instead he chewed viciously on his thumb, staring blankly ahead. Light shook his head and sat up. Moving over to the raven haired man he pulled his thumb away from his mouth.

"Your going to bite a hole in your thumb at the rate you're going Ryuzaki." Immediately the flush from that morning appeared on his pale cheeks. '_That's what I figured. He's so sensitive to direct contact that anything I do will probably cause the same reaction._' L's dark gaze bore into the hand that trapped his. The detective was far to shocked to do anything but stare.

* * *

Ok yes I gave Light a mental problem so sue me. He was a little too....perfect to be as smart as he is. Just so it's known, everything that happens to or effects Light in this story will connect to something I might have made note of in the show.

Example: As you see in the Light/L fight, Light does indeed punch L with enough force to send them both flying. Then when Light staggered back after being kicked, he actually pulled L INTO the air!

Ok and as for L blushing when touched...well...pale skin is a curse to bare lol. Seriously though, I can safely say that this can happen...as it has happened to me. When I was young I would blush instantly if I was touched. Weird I know, but possible.

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And you will too


	5. Persistent Nightmares

Urgh! I had wanted this chapter to be more humor...but the plot had other ideas it seems. It's in my perception that Light acts much more like a teen during the Yotsuba arc of the show when he has no memories of the Death Note, that is why he might seem like he's acting kind of oddly at times. He is still a teenager, even if he is a genius.

**Helen N.:** You're welcome! Regardless of whether you feel it's merely your job or not I deeply appreciate the time you take to leave a review of the size that you do. I don't like when they fall for each other too quickly either...I've never really seen L as a physical kind of guy, even if he is so adorable that he could be a piece of candy himself lol. I wanted something for Light because he seems so....perfect. That's why I made him a schizophrenic. This story starts in the Yostuba arc where Light has no memory of the Death Note. I never really thought of using Light's disorder that way but I might do it in a different fic at some point though lol. I have no problem with your critique. It's all good as long as you're passionate about something.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, if I did I'd be rich and wouldn't need to use fanfiction to satisfy the urge to make L and Light kiss lol.

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

A long silence passed between the two chained geniuses. L's gaze fixated on Light's hand, which trapped his own. The light pulls of a violin resounded on the edges of Light's consciousness. The teen wondered why the detective was so fascinated by his hands, but couldn't keep his focus entirely because of the instrument playing in his mind. Light now remembered the reason why he disliked sitting idle for any length of time. The young brunette quickly searched his mind for where their exchange had left off.

"If I let go of your hand will you please try to stop chewing on your thumb?" The reclusive detective's black eyes snapped up to lock with Light's, as if just realizing he was there. The light flush that had appeared on the pale man's face had yet to recede though it seemed like he was unaware of it.

"Why does Light-kun want me to stop?" Light let out a loud sigh to clearly signal his exasperation. The teen's voice took on a scolding tone.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop." L's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

"Why would Light-kun care if I am hurt?" Light dropped the detective's hand immediately. He did not answer for a long moment, and when he did his voice carried a slight current of hurt.

"I'm your friend. Why shouldn't I care?" L cocked his head to the side in thought.

"I see, it is the nature of friends to worry about the other's wellbeing." Light propped his elbow on his knee and rested his head in his palm as he grinned slightly.

"You know, Ryuzaki? You can be so damn annoying sometimes."

* * *

Light's eyes fluttered open as the sun poured into the room. The teen blinked blearily, not bothering to move from his spot. It was quite warm, even though it was shifting uncomfortably…wait what? Forcing his normally sharp eyes to focus he noted he was spooned against L's back and holding him in place by his thin waist. If the constant shifting wasn't enough of a clue as to how awake his friend was, the fact that his body was as rigid as a block of wood was. Light snickered against L's back.

"Yes Light-kun, I'm certain you find this amusing. Now if you are indeed awake then release me so that we may continue the investigation." The teenaged genius grinned mischievously as L went to move away, and tightened his grip on the detective.

"Nope not awake yet…You'll just have to wait. You're pretty comfortable…Maybe I'll just use you as my pillow from now on." Light, his face being only an inch or so from the back of the insomniac's neck, felt heat begin to radiate off of the wild haired man. This was a blush from true embarrassment not from any contact issues the pale man might have, that much Light could tell.

"Light-kun you are very clearly awake or you would not be conversing with me…Now release me." Light laughed lightly as he sat up and let his flustered friend go.

"Calm down Ryuzaki, I was just teasing." The detective didn't respond. He merely rose from the bed and began making his way to the bathroom. Light was getting the distinct impression that the dark haired man was sulking.

* * *

Light noted the proverbial rain cloud over L for the rest of the morning. He refused to speak to him and was eating more sweets than usual. At about lunch time they made their way to their kitchen and L began riffling through the refrigerator. Light waited patiently for him as this could take quite some time according to the detective's mood. As Light let his mind wander, he rubbed at his left eye. He had never worn contacts before, and it was slightly uncomfortable and itched from time to time. Brown eyes landed on a cardboard box on the counter with a card that said 'Matsuda', and smiled softly.

"Hey Ryuzaki, Matsuda-san left us donuts." Without speaking, the detective closed the refrigerator door and slouched over to the box and opened it up to reveal a couple dozen donuts of varying types. Light picked up a simple sugar raised donut, while L grabbed a chocolate frosted chocolate donut with chocolate sprinkles. About the time the teen was half done with his, L picked up his second, some kind of filled donut covered in powdered sugar. After taking a large bite, L's eyes rounded to an impossible size as he began coughing and spluttering as he dashed to the trash bin promptly spitting out what was in his mouth and fell to the ground hacking and shaking slightly. "Ryuzaki! Ryuzaki are you alright?!" Light dropped to the ground next to L and placed a hand on his back only to realize that his friend was trembling.

"I'm fine, Light-kun…" The detective rasped out between dry coughs. Light shook his head.

"You don't look fine, Ryuzaki. What happened?" Light watched as the pale man looked at the donut in his hand and threw it harshly in the trash.

"I hate strawberry jam." L was glaring mutinously at the trash bin like it had tried to poison him. Light looked concernedly at the pale detective. That wasn't just a dislike for the stuff; L had looked like someone was trying to shove a knife down his throat. Light made a mental note to never do so much as offer jam to Ryuzaki. A reaction like this was nothing to laugh about.

L came around and began talking again after the donut incident. Light felt sorry for Matsuda though. He could only imagine what was going to happen the next time L saw him.

* * *

Light was getting quite tired. L had drilled him for details on his dreams and all the events in-between them nonstop since they had returned to their rooms after the, now dubbed, donut incident. It was getting late in the night now. Dropping all pretenses fairly early on, Light was now laying sprawled out on the bed with his right arm slung over his eyes not caring about his appearance in the face of his ever present watcher.

"I wonder what would happen if we were to force one of these dreams to occur…" Light felt a cold chill run down his spine at the very idea that L was presenting. The brunette sat up unsteadily, but forced himself to remain calm.

"But Ryuzaki, what would happen if something about me changed that I can't cover up? What if Kira takes control of me next time?" L pressed a slender finger to his lips in thought never taking his black eyes off of the teen that seemed to be becoming distressed with the turn that their conversation was taking.

"According to what I understand so far Light-kun, is that your changes are purely physical…Almost as if Kira is changing you to suit him. If this is indeed the case a great deal of change would be necessary for him to find you a suitable host, but of course this is all pure conjecture." Light pulled himself to the edge of the bed and glared heatedly at the pale detective.

"Yeah easy for you to be so calm about this it's not your body Kira's after." L's gaze hardened and his jaw tensed.

"This is true Light-kun; however I am chained to the body Kira theoretically wants." Light considered this for a moment. It occurred to him that he was having a difficult time remaining impartial in the decision because they were talking about him. L was right however; his life was in danger if Kira did take control of him. If Ryuzaki was willing to gamble on it with his own safety, Light reasoned that it was only fair that he gamble something of equal value…his freewill.

"Alright Ryuzaki, we'll give it a try." The detective nodded.

"Tears of any kind?" Light shrugged. The question was vague, but the teen knew what he was talking about.

"That I don't know…I'll just force myself and we'll see what happens ok?" L sighed as he watched the brunette's face fall into pure concentration even as his eyes fell out of focus. The young genius averted his face as a single tear fell from his eye. Taking a sharp intake of breath, Light wiped at his eyes and stood. "Ok well, that's all we can do tonight. Now we just have to wait and see what happens."

After prepping for bed, Light lay down feeling anticipation knot in his stomach. The teen used a tried and true method for putting himself to sleep…of course his doctor and probably his father would have a fit if they found out. Concentrating on the pleasant strains of piano drifting gently through his head, Light was able to relax enough to allow sleep to claim him, humming softly as he drifted. L kept a silent vigil on the teen, preparing himself for another night filled with screams of pain and terror.

* * *

**Light's eyes snapped open and panic filled him instantly, knowing exactly what was now happening. As he thought, he could not move more than a few inches in any direction. The darkness was suffocating and oppressive. Once more he could feel eyes on him, and he forced himself to remain still. The teen trembled where he stood, not knowing what to expect. Light stifled a shout at the feeling of being embraced from behind, trapping his hands at his sides. The brunette struggled to see his unseen captor, the hands holding him cold as ice and reeked of decay. One hand rested over his heart.**

_**You cannot hide**_

_**For it is here I shall reside**_

**The pain Light had been waiting for came at last and plunged itself deep into his chest, shards of what felt like glass and ice tore into the wound and once again, the helpless teen screamed. It burned, it froze, it stung, and it throbbed. No matter how hard he tried, Light could still not move an inch. He could feel his precious life flowing out of him and down his body, freezing like shackles at his feet before boiling and taking precious skin with it. Light felt a stinging sensation on his cheek and heard a vague sound almost like shouting.**

* * *

Light snapped his eyes open and came face to face with L who was currently straddling his waist and gripping the teen's shirt with one hand. Light surged upward and wrapped his hands around the detective and buried his face in the man's chest. The teen shook with dry sobs as he choked out a small rasping plea.

"Please don't make me do that again…Please…" L said nothing, but allowed the teen to cling to him. After a minute or two and Light seemed to have calmed down slightly, both became aware that they felt…sticky. L pulled the brunette from him and looked down in shock. At the same time Light's face contorted in horror.

His chest was bleeding and had soaked through both of their shirts.

* * *

Yeah freaky eh? The dreams are only going to get worse too...God I'm so damn evil to poor Light-kun! Pre-emptive kudos to anyone who guesses where this is going now that you have more info.

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	6. Child's Mentality

Let me be the first to say that this chapter contains a bit of OOCness, BUT L and Light are aware that it is not within their usual nature. Techincally it is in their nature as it is still a type of competition and it is certainly childish, but it still is not something you would think of the two of them engaging in...hence the warning.

**Helen N.:** I think I can safely say no one will know exactly what's happening to poor Light until I want them to at this rate. At least I know I can add a little mystery to a stoy eh? As far as akward phrasings are concerned, I have a tendency to write the way I speak so that could attribute to some inconsistencies sp? About BB...You know how L has his thing for sweets? and Near with toys? and Mello with chocolate and Matt with gaming? For BB it's jam. I'm clarifying if you don't know. The boys are indeed growing closer, but please bear with me for that kissing scene lol. It's gonna be maybe a chapter or two before that occurs.

**redfoxrose:** ....Wow I think you hit as close to the mark as is possible with the information that's been given. Your guess has told me that I'm successfully placing clues for the reader to follow, so thank you very much for reviewing. I really appreciate it. As for BB...Guess you'll have to wait and see won't you? lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note...If I did I'd make a game and make sure it was sent to America lol.

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

"Take the shirt off, Light-kun." L reacted mere moments after catching sight of the injury. Light was still shaking horribly and was having difficulty unbuttoning his night shirt. The detective pushed the teen's hands away and finished the task for him and slid the shirt off the brunette's shoulders to assess the damage.

The blood had smeared quite a bit in Light's earlier panic, and it was clearly still bleeding quite profusely. In the darkness of the room it was hard to see precisely how bad the wound was. The door to the bedroom opened and light flooded the room as Watari strode in quickly with a first-aid kit in hand.

"Please move away Ryuzaki and allow me to examine him." L complied and shifted off of Light quickly. As soon as the pale man had released the young genius' shoulders, he fell back into the pillows. Watari began cleaning the wound quickly so he could determine the extent of the damage. After a few agonizing moments, Light's eyes began to droop.

"I feel cold…" Watari looked sharply at the teen then moved off the bed.

"Ryuzaki, Light needs to be taken to the examination room immediately. I fear this may be quite serious." L moved quickly and pulled Light off the bed and into his arms.

* * *

It had been a good twenty minutes since L had laid Light down so Watari could set about healing him. He now watched as his caregiver stared in wonderment at the teen.

"Ryuzaki," L looked up at the elderly man silently waiting for him to continue. "I am going to be honest with you. I fully expected Yagami-kun to die tonight." The detective froze in his crouched position on the chair in the corner of the room. He dared not even breathe.

"Watari, why were you so certain?" Watari sighed as he placed a hand on the soundly sleeping teen's brow. He had fallen unconscious mere moments before entering the room.

"Yagami-kun's aorta was pierced. By all accounts the boy should be dead…However, he has stabilized and judging by how quickly he seems to recover from injury, he will likely be fully recovered in the next six hours or so." L's thought processes had completely shut down as he stared unmoving and unblinking into the face of the anomaly he was now chained to.

* * *

It was another four hours before Light woke up. He felt dizzy and a little cold. Opening his eyes revealed he had somehow made it into the examination room where had had his physical done not long ago.

"Light-kun is awake." Light sat up slowly. He didn't want to aggravate the injury he knew was there. He must have been bleeding pretty badly if he had passed out. Turning to respond to L all he could do was gasp. The detective's shirt was covered in blood. There was hardly any white left to be seen. "Light-kun was bleeding quite profusely. I have not had a chance to change as of yet." Light pushed himself off of the bed and hissed slightly when his bare feet hit the cold tile floor of the room then began his walk back to their room.

"Let's fix that then. Come on let's go change." L rose from his seat and followed behind.

"Is Light-kun feeling well enough to be moving about?" Light stumbled a bit, not from his injury, but from the tone of concern laced in the dark haired man's normally level voice.

"I'll be ok Ryuzaki…thanks." The genius detective pressed a pale finger to his lips in thought as they walked.

"Light-kun…your injury was…"

"Please don't tell me Ryuzaki…at least not right now. I don't think I could handle it at the moment." L nodded and remained silent for the rest of the journey back to their room. The detective had every intention of allowing the teen to rest until sunrise. His wound would have healed by then. Perhaps he too would benefit from the extra time. The detective could not even lie to himself in thinking that the brunette's brush with death had not affected him.

* * *

Light had been standing in front of the bathroom mirror for a good fifteen minutes growing evermore frustrated as his hair refused to co-operate with him. L crouched on the lid of the toilet staring bemusedly at the brunette fussing with his hair with all the vigor of a high school girl.

Not long ago Watari had entered to remove the bandages from Light's chest to reveal a deep scar set in a strange pattern over his heart. Light had made it a point to avoid looking at it and not speaking of it. He seemed content to ignore its existence for the time being. Now L watched as the teen grew frustrated with his uncooperative hair.

"Leave it Light-kun; it does not look as bad as you seem to believe it does." Light merely grunted in response as he smoothed his hand over his bangs, but this did absolutely nothing to correct their messy state. The teen growled at the mirror as he pulled his hands through his hair angrily succeeding in mussing it up further.

"Your standards of acceptable hair and mine are very different, Ryuzaki." L blinked owlishly at the young genius then ran a hand through his own hair thoughtfully.

"Does Light-kun find something wrong with my appearance?" Light ceased fussing with his hair for a moment, turning to the pale man, his bangs hanging stubbornly in his face covering his left eye. The teen sighed as he leaned against the counter.

"No Ryuzaki, that's not what I meant." The brunette sounded defeated as he pushed his bangs out of his eye, only for them to fall back exactly where they had been. "Fine be that way!" he snapped at his reflection before stalking out of the bathroom, dragging L with him. Light stormed over to his dresser and wrenched it open and began tearing through its contents in a huff.

"What is Light-kun searching for?" Light spared the wild haired man a glance before replying.

"My hat…" L cocked his head to the side in bewilderment. Surely Light could not be so concerned about his appearance. Then a malicious thought crossed the detective's mind and began assisting the teen in his search. L found his purchase within a few moments; it was a black knit cap. The corner of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly.

"This hat, Light-kun?" Light ceased his frustrated search and put his hand out calming slightly.

"Thank you, Ryuzaki. Give it here please." L looked down at the cap in his hands then back up at Light with a playful glint in his black eyes.

"No." Light blinked once, twice, then grinned evilly and lunged for the hat resting in the detective's hands missing by mere inches as L sidestepped him. Light whipped around and grabbed L from behind as the detective folded his arms to his chest protectively as he held the hat tightly in both hands. Light latched onto the hat blindly from behind L and began tugging harshly on it in an attempt to wrench it away from its captor. L attempted to jerk away from the teen, only succeeding in dragging him a few inches. Light saw an opening and pushed forward suddenly. L staggered and toppled face first halfway onto the bed. Before he could push himself up Light shoved his full weight onto his back successfully pinning his torso to the mattress. Both of them were panting from the exertion, but also snickering slightly at the ridiculousness of the situation they were in. "I will bite you, Light-kun." Light just grunted in reply as he pushed the detective further into the bed. Light felt teeth clamp down on his forearm.

"Oww!" L tried to push upward again, but was unsuccessful. "Give me my hat, or I won't get off." The detective tried a new tactic and without warning pushed back into Light. They both slid back, the brunette yelping in surprise. L, however, was now pinned against the side of the bed instead of on the mattress. Light began pulling at his hat that was still trapped in the detective's grasp.

"Was Light-kun always this weak?" L taunted the teen between pants. He was unaccustomed to exerting himself this way, and found it to be quite liberating. Both were now laughing between grunts of effort, fully realizing how silly they must look. Light wrapped one arm under L's and clamped it down on the hat once more, and hooked one leg around the detective's waist and pulled hard. Both toppled to the floor with a shout. L curled in on himself as much as his current position allowed determined to keep Light's hat from him. The two tussled on the floor for a time before Light stilled his movements slightly grinning mischievously.

"Are you ticklish, Ryuzaki?" L jerked in Light's grasp and answered a little too quickly.

"No." Light released the hat with one hand and lightly dragged a fingernail along the bottom of the detective's foot. L shrieked and instinctively kicked his foot out at the offending hand. Light laughed loudly but held fast to the man who held his hat captive. The teen began tugging relentlessly at his hat dramatizing the sounds he made with the effort. L began yanking back with the same amount of force. "My hat." Light pulled harshly before what L said registered.

"No it's mine! It won't fit on your fat head!" Light realized belatedly how childish that had sounded, but mentally shrugged. L was playing 'Keep away' with his hat…can't get much more childish than that.

"You're one to talk Light-kun." Light pulled insistently at the hat and the teen realized what L was talking about.

"You ate the donuts too." L held the hat tightly to his chest.

"I didn't eat Misa's cookies." Light wrapped his legs around L's back.

"I didn't eat all of Misa's cookies." L drew himself into as tight a ball as possible.

"Well I didn't have any." Light groaned dramatically before his gaze settled on the clock on his nightstand which read seven thirty.

"Give it, Ryuzaki! We're going to be late meeting up with the taskforce!" L tugged at the hat huffing petulantly.

"Light-kun is not allowed to wear the hat." Light shifted his weight to pin the detective to the floor.

"Why? My hair won't sit right." L huffed and buried his face in the carpet.

"Light-kun's hair is fine." Before Light had time to respond, the door to their room swung open revealing a very amused Watari.

"Ryuzaki, release Yagami-kun's hat. The two of you need to be down stairs in five minutes." The insomniac sighed released the hat and stood rearranging his clothing so they sat properly as Light pulled the hat onto his head. All three men began the trek down stairs to meet up with the taskforce, L eyeing the hat with that same playful glint.

* * *

Just in case anyone who reads this doesn't know...the aorta is the main connecting artery to your heart. If this artery is pierced or it ruptures...you die...period. Ok as for the hat Light and L are fighting over, it's the only one you see Light wear in the show lol. Again I apologize if the hat fight was too OOC for any of you, but I really couldn't resist putting it in there.

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	7. A Tenuous Connection

Oh. My. God....You have no idea how stubborn this damn chapter was. I was about ready to scream. The thing refused to be written! I spent the last several days on everything but the final scene. At least that part came easily. That's enough of a rant from me. This is more of a developmental chapter so it might seem sorta filler-ish, BUT you get some LightxL fluff in return for your paitience. I hope you guy like it cause I thought it was sweet.

**AuraBlackWolf:** Hehe 'Kira was here' You're funny. Sorry but you wont find out much about the mark in this chapter. Enjoy some nice fluff instead lol.

**Feline Jaye:** Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm glad you understand my perspective on Light and L it's reassuring. This chapter has development in it so I hope you like fluffy things.

Disclaimer:.......Do I really need to keep writing this at this point? I'm running out of jokes lol.

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

L had made it clear, under no uncertain terms that their little competition was far from over by tugging at Light's cap roughly from behind two seconds before entering the main work room. After meeting up with the taskforce, and assuring Sorichiro that his son was well, the two geniuses resumed their battle silently…it was little things at first. It was a little distracting tug on the chain that bound them here or there and that escalated to the very limit without alerting the other men in the room. They kept it surprisingly friendly by leaving certain unspoken rules such as; don't pull while Ryuzaki is eating cake, and don't pull while Light is drinking coffee. Both young men knew it would turn into all out warfare if these rules were broken.

Light suppressed a grin as he used his chained left hand to reach for some documents, successfully pulling L's chair away from his computer. The auburn haired teen earned a muffled growl from the pale detective for his efforts. Five minutes later, L got his revenge by pulling Light's hand out from underneath his chin. It had been going on for hours now and the two were rather shocked that they had been getting away with such childish antics in the presence of the rest of the taskforce.

Unfortunately such an overall enjoyable day was too good to be true as Matsuda rose from his seat.

"I'm going to go get more coffee. It looks like everyone could use some." There were various responses of relieved assent around the room, but the moment the clumsy man had opened his mouth L's mood had soured. Light figured the detective was still carrying a grudge from the donut incident. The brunette's own mood dampened upon remembering the trembling mess Ryuzaki had been at the time. Light was brought out of his darkening train of thought when Matsuda returned. The auburn haired genius saw L's gaze darken as the young detective entered the room laden with a tray full of coffee cups. Matsuda brought a cup first over to him, then making his way to L. The sweet toothed detective picked up the offered coffee and promptly poured the steaming hot contents down the poor unsuspecting man's back.

* * *

Light unceremoniously threw himself onto the bed in an exhausted heap not caring if Ryuzaki was ready to head there or not. After his coffee stunt with Matsuda, there had been a general outcry that Light had had to calm, lest the taskforce lynch the poor detective he was chained to.

The teen couldn't decide what had been more shocking that day. It was a toss up between L's revenge itself, or Watari's reaction upon hearing about it and subsequently why the detective had done it. The elderly man had actually asked if that was all Ryuzaki had done! Light's curiosity about L's powerful aversion to jam was beginning to eat at the teen's mind. He desperately wanted to know what had caused it, but was unsure of how to broach the subject. Light's body went on auto-pilot, following L's motions about the room without complaint as he tried to formulate a way to breech the topic without seeming like he was prying too much.

Light was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a minute shiver trail up his back. He realized he was standing in the bathroom and Ryuzaki was currently in the shower. Apparently he had already finished his seeing as how he was cold, wet, and currently only wearing a pair of black pajama pants. The auburn haired teen sighed as he resigned himself to looking down at the thing he had been avoiding all day.

The young genius raised slender fingers to trace the peculiar pattern engraved on his skin. The longer he looked at it, the more Light came to understand that it was not merely a pattern but a symbol of some kind. The teen puzzled over it, not noticing when the shower was turned off.

"What is Light-kun doing?" Light's eyes refocused and settled on the man he was chained to. It appeared that he was planning on sleeping tonight since he was now clad in grey pajama pants and a white shirt. It wasn't a large shift from the norm, but enough to signal the detective's intention to sleep. The teen pulled his thoughts back to L's question.

"I was looking at it." Light let his gaze fall back to the symbol carved into his chest. "I think it means something. The sooner we find out what the better." The auburn haired teen's voice was soft and even, but on the inside he was quivering at the possible meanings this symbol could have. Light's fingers unconsciously traced over the symbol again and again.

"I believe Light-kun is rather fixated with the scar itself…not its' meaning." Light's eyes lifted from the scar to lock with the detective's with an unreadable expression deep in their bi-colored depths.

"Well, I can't say I've ever had a scar before…It feels strange." Light allowed his gaze to drop back to the scar.

"It almost killed you, Light-kun." The teen's shoulders drooped slightly. He really didn't want to talk about his near death experience, but successfully squashed the conversation with a yawn.

"Mmm…I'm a little more tired than I thought. Let's save the rest of this for tomorrow." L nodded and slouched off to the bedroom with Light close behind.

* * *

Light lay on his side simply watching the pale man next to him. Sleep was an odd state to see L in. His face was completely peaceful, making him seem so much younger than he was. The teen watched the steady rise and fall of his friend's chest and almost drifted back off to sleep. Light was pulled out of his half sleeping daze at the sound of a small release of air that vaguely resembled a whimper. L's face had twisted slightly as if in pain, and his breaths were becoming harsher. The auburn haired genius' eyes widened in shock, L was having a nightmare.

Light grabbed the raven haired man's thin shoulder and squeezed lightly when the detective's breaths started becoming more frantic. The teen started calling out to him when L unconsciously jerked out of his grasp.

"Ryuzaki…Ryuzaki, wake up. You're dreaming." The frail looking man cried out and clawed at his back when Light held him to cease his thrashing. "Ryuzaki! Wake up!" Light shouted. L jolted in his arms and began trembling. The auburn haired boy realized the detective had awoken only when he turned slightly in his grasp to pull his knees to his chest. Light didn't release him; instead he pulled the shaken man's head to his shoulder and rested it there.

"What is Light-kun doing?" That question again. Light heard a noticeable quake in the man's voice.

"Shh…Just take a minute and relax." L remained tense in the embrace. It wasn't long before he began shifting uncomfortably.

"Light-kun, I am not accustomed to this degree of contact." Light nodded his head, but didn't move away.

"You don't have to be. Just stop thinking for a minute." L stilled. No one had ever told to stop thinking before. For as long as he could remember, people always looked to him for answers they could not find for themselves. He could never afford to cease thinking for a single moment, but now…with Light…he didn't have to think for Light. Slowly, tentatively, Ryuzaki put an arm around Light's shoulder and pressed his face deeper into the teen's shoulder.

L knew he was walking a fine line right now. Light was still a suspect in the Kira case, but L couldn't help himself. It felt good not to think for once.

* * *

Awwww lightxl cuddles kawaiiii! Seriously though sorry this chapter is a little short, but I might've written my own name in my death note if I looked at this chapter a moment longer. I hope that the next one will come more easily so I don't have to keep you all waiting.

Read & Review

It makes me smile

And you will too!


	8. Marked for the Beyond

Ok Finally! Here's the next chapter. Ugh I keep telling myself that it will get easier in the hope that it will be...but this bloody chapter was just like trying to pull teeth! There's a bit of fluff at the beginning here followed by some plotsy stuff.

I very much appreciate all the reviews I've gotten so far, so here are some personalized thanks:

**Feline Jaye:** Thank you so much for your reviews. You just found this story a couple of chapters ago, but the support you've been giving means a great deal to me. Thanks again, and I hope the story continues to meet your expectations.

**deathnoteno1fan-codegeasslover:** Ah Thanks so much for your continued support. You've been reading since pretty early on and I hope to hear more feedback from you.

**Donatellolover:** I really like hearing your thoughts on the chapters you read. It really gives me an idea of what it is you want to see done. That helps me write so much. I am really happy you take the time to voice your questions, and I hope you continue to do so.

**Quiet:** I was very pleasantly suprised to see a separate reveiw for each chapter from you in my inbox. I started reading your story The Art of Drowning to return the favor. I hope that my story remains a good read for you. Thank you so much!

**DeviouslyCXDementedXC:** Thanks a lot! I seem to be getting a great deal of feedback on those dreams. I'll try to keep them interesting.

**redfoxrose:** You've reviewed this story a few times and your comments always make me smile. Thank you.

**AuraBlackWolf:** Your reviews are always sweet and funny. That really inspires me to write more when I see it. Thank you for being so sweet.

**Helen N.:** Your reviews are always long and extremely helpful. It's your reviews that push me to improve my writing. I hope that these improvements are enough to keep you interested and happy with this story...Your thoughts mean a lot to me.

If I've missed anyone I apologize since I'm doing this from memory _;

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

For the first time in his life L allowed his mind to stray. In this moment he secretly, selfishly never wanted to think for others again. Allow the world to rot if he could enjoy this kind of reprieve from his more logical senses. The detective found it difficult to keep his thoughts free from logic, so he tried focusing on his more deprived senses.

L was still holding himself against Light's shoulder. Even from such a position he could hear his soft and steady breathing. His ears picked up the faint sound of humming. Light was humming a quiet tune as he held the pale man. L felt his face heating as he continued to take in surroundings with every sense except the one he was most familiar with. Every touch, every breath, and every scent…and they all belonged to Light.

"Light-kun, let me go." Light released him and ceased his quiet song. "I do not believe that I am familiar with the song you were humming, Light-kun. It sounded almost classical." L sat on the edge of the bed looking at the teen out of the corner of his eye, attempting to get his flushed features under control. The auburn haired teen looked about the room perplexed for a brief moment.

"Oh…It was so clear a moment ago…I was sure it was actually something playing in a room nearby…" Light sighed and shook his head. "The song doesn't exist Ryuazki; it's just something in my head." L could clearly see that the teen was still listening to the nonexistent music.

"It isn't good to indulge in mental illness, Light-kun…" Light dazedly refocused his eyes and settled a confused gaze at his friend.

"It's just music, Ryuzaki. What's the harm in that?" the detective's intense gaze leveled itself fully on the auburn haired genius.

"Regardless Light-kun, it is what it is. Your father should not have treated it so lightly when you were diagnosed. You are fortunate that the symptoms have not become worse." Light remained quiet for some time before responding to the pale detective.

"I know that I shouldn't listen, but…It helps me to think, and in some cases, to stop thinking." Before L could formulate a reply his cell went off. Reaching over to his nightstand, Ryuzaki picked up the phone between forefinger and thumb; flipping it open deftly and holding it to his ear.

"Yes?...Yes…I see…I understand…Yes…We will be there shortly." Light peered curiously from under sleep mussed auburn bangs at his friend.

"What was that about?" L slid off the bed and Light followed.

"That was Watari." The detective began dressing and the genius teen followed suit. "He has been researching that peculiar mark on your chest since the bandages came off." Light paused halfway through buttoning the white shirt he'd pulled on over a black undershirt. "He has uncovered some interesting results. We will be looking into that before we join the taskforce this morning." Light pulled a brush through his hair quietly, but on the inside he was bracing himself for whatever results Watari had discovered.

* * *

Light sat quietly fiddling with the chain connected to his left wrist in a rare physical display of nervousness. He didn't know what results to expect, and that put the teen on edge.

"I can understand if you are nervous, Yagami-kun. I just wish I had good news for you." Light felt his airway constrict, and he swallowed thickly. The young genius believed he understood now how a terminal patient must feel right before a doctor tells them they're going to die. "That symbol is very ancient. In the society it was used in, it was a mark placed upon only those who were believed to deserve it." L shifted in his seat beside the auburn haired teen.

"What was significance of the mark Watari?" The elderly man was silent for a long moment.

"I believe the symbol's meaning was 'beyond', or something close." Light heard the chain clank loudly as the detective jolted in his peripheral vision. "The one's who were considered deserving were marked, and then sacrificed so they could become guiding spirits for the society." Light's focus slipped at the word 'sacrificed'. He sat unmoving in his chair, staring straight forward with unseeing eyes. Did this mean he was marked for death? Did this mean Kira was after him now? Light mentally shook his head forcing himself to think properly. Clearly Kira wanted something from him if the dreams were anything to go by. Light wouldn't have it! He refused to be controlled like that! The teen figured he better say something soon.

"Does this mean that I'm going to die?" Yes the teen supposed that was a concern. He was more worried about being controlled by a sociopath with a god complex, but Ryuzaki didn't need to know that. Watari sighed tiredly before responding.

"I'm not certain if that's possible under normal methods at this point Yagami-kun." The statement startled the young man.

"What do you mean Watari-san?" Watari moved forward and placed a worn hand on the teen's shoulder.

"The night you received that mark, your aorta was pierced, Yagami-kun. Technically you should have bled out before we reached the examination room." Light felt faint. He couldn't focus properly, and was having difficulty breathing. The sounds in the room began rushing together, and Light wondered absently if Kira might be giving him a stroke rather than a heart attack. Actually, it felt as if he was being strangled. Light wondered why he was even trying to focus his eyes as he struggled to breathe against invisible hands against his throat. Suddenly the teen felt a sharp stinging against his cheek…once…twice…Light's hands shot out to stop whatever it was that was causing the sensation, only for the room to return into focus. The teen was gripping L's hand tightly, and he idly realized he was gasping for breath and felt quite dizzy.

"Sorry about that. I…" Light released the detective's hand, and took a claming breath before finishing quietly. "I don't think I was ready to hear something like that." L continued to stare at the teen until mentally Light began to squirm.

"Perhaps you should check in on Amane-san before we join the taskforce today." The auburn haired genius looked at he pale man with barely contained puzzlement. He simply couldn't fathom the abrupt subject change. Light had actually forgotten about the bubbly blonde girl in lieu of the current events surrounding him, but he now realized she had wanted to see him as soon as it was permissible. Brown eyes slide shut as he sighed. "You do not care for Amane-san, Light-kun?" Upon opening his eyes, Light arched a thin brow at the detective.

"I already told you that it's one sided, Ryuzaki. I guess I should go see her though." If he put it off much longer he was in danger of never getting his arm back. L cocked his head to the side while placing a thumb to his lips; stepping back so the teen could stand.

"If you do not care for her Light-kun, why do you keep up such pretense?" Light could see where this was going from a mile away, and could feel the onset of a headache. This was a question he couldn't answer properly, because every time he considered exactly why he still dated Misa one of those irritating holes in his memory would show up. All he could remember was that the blonde girl showed up at his door one night, introduced herself, and asked him to go out with her. He could not for the life of him remember why he had agreed. There was no way under the sun that he was going to tell L that he didn't know why. Light hated not knowing. He and Ryuzaki may have been friends, but said friend still believed he was a sociopathic serial murderer. The pale detective would likely find it suspicious that he couldn't remember why he had allowed the girl to get attached to him to begin with.

Light realized that while he had retreated into his mind the two of them had been steadily moving in the direction of Misa's floor. The teen figured he had better at least come up with some kind of answer before L drew his own conclusions, so he said the first thing that came to mind as he reached for the door to Misa's room.

"She's not that bad, Ryuzaki." The door had barely been open for half a second before a mass of black and gold flew into his chest.

"Light! Misa-chan had a feeling she'd get to see you soon!" Light internally winced. What was he just saying?

* * *

Yeah I didn't forget about Misa...sorry Misa haters lol. Just in case it isn't clear to anyone, Light started hyperventialting when Watari told him he should have died. And yes the mark is every bit as significant as you believe it to be hehe.

Just a quick note. I've noted a bit of a lag in the pacing of the reviews I get. I'm not saying I won't post anything until I get a certain amount, but I find that it inspires me and gives me a bit more motivation than I may have had without them.

So.....

Read & Review

It makes me smile

And you will too!


	9. Maturity Paradox

Hurray! This chapter was sooo much easier to write than the previous two. I'm pleased as can be right now...even thought it's like 4 in the morning right now lol. I hope everyone is as happy with this chapter as I am. I really enjoyed writing it.

**AuraBlackWolf:** Hehe Thank you so much. I'm glad you like the story that much. I agree on Misa. She'd be a heck of a lot more tolerable if she'd tone down the obssessiveness a bit. As far as the mark goes...I left it undescribed intentionally for the purposes of fan art...so it's whatever awesome symbol you think of. I have an idea of what I want it to be...but I'm not going to cramp up other's imagination with it lol.

**deathnoteno1fan-codegeasslover: **Ahhh...The condition L is refering to is schizophrenia. Light told both him and Watari during his physical that he was diagnosed with it when he was younger, and his father never had it treated. I hope this helps you understand better.

**Lady Vampyre Nefertiri:** Oh wow. Such a well thought out review. I'm so happy that you like the story so much. I'm glad you like my approach to Light's personality. The way I saw it, Light was by no means a mean spirited or vain person after he lost his memories of the death note. As far as Light's father is concerned...too often I see him being portrayed in a way that makes him seem TOO overbearning or a total monster. He just isn't like that. As far as I can see he's a very caring father...if not perhaps a tad on the protective side. Ok and you asked why only one of Light's eyes is red? Well do consider what it would mean if both of his eyes were red...I don't think I nedd to elaborate on that do I? hehehe...

* * *

In the Case of Light Yagami

* * *

Misa snuggled into Light's chest lovingly, not even giving the poor startled teen a moment to steady himself after she had unceremoniously crashed into him mere seconds ago.

"Oh Misa-chan is so happy that you are ok, Light! Come on in and sit down." Light stumbled as he was pulled into the room, and Ryuzaki purposefully waited until the chain pulled tight just to throw him off balance. It was not lost on both males that Misa was blatantly ignoring L's presence. "Did you like Misa-chan's cookies Light?" She asked this while seating the teen down on the couch, never releasing his right arm.

"Ah…Yes, thank you." The bouncy blonde 'hmmed' happily and snuggled against Light's arm again.

"Misa-chan is so happy that you're doing better." Misa looked up at Light smiling contentedly before pausing. A confused frown marred her usually bright countenance. "Light?" Puzzlement crossed the young genius' face and waited for the girl attached to his arm to continue. "Why are you wearing a contact lens?" Light mentally face palmed. Of course if anyone would have been able to tell, it would have been the girl who wears them!

"That's classified." L deadpanned. Instead of achieving the desired affect of angering Misa, and thus distracting her…she now looked very worried.

"Light is there something wrong? You'd tell Misa-chan if it was something serious right?" Light shifted, not out of nervousness, but out of discomfort as Misa was clutching his arm rather tightly now. Good god if that girl didn't have a strong grip!

"If you needed to know Misa-chan, I would tell you." Light adopted a soothing tone that he hoped would get the distressed blonde to loosen her vise like grip on him. The normally sunny young idol calmed slightly, but still looked worried.

* * *

Light sat gracefully in his chair, but he really just wanted to abandon all pretenses and sag in his seat the way Ryuzaki did. It had taken two hours to calm Misa enough to stop asking questions, and another thirty minutes to detach her from his arm. The teen knew exactly how to talk to people, but that didn't mean he enjoyed dealing with them. Dealing with others was just…depressing. L was the only one he could hold a conversation with for any length of time and not get bored…Even if many of those said conversations ended in verbal combat.

Depressing…That brought Light's thoughts to a subject that came up in his musings from time to time. Hind sight showed him that he'd been suffering from depression for the better portion of his high school years. It seemed that the tell tale signs of it disappeared not long after Kira had reared his ugly head though. This always confused the teen. According to his memory…The feelings of depression had started to lift long before he was invited to work on the case. Light would often consider everything he recalled doing during that space of time to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. Dating was a tactic he used to alleviate boredom…sex too, but he was never really attached to any of the girls he'd been with. Other than a few new girls being thrown into the mix, nothing significantly different had occurred in the time between the serial murderer's appearance and being accepted into the taskforce.

Light's thoughts were broken by a resounding sucking sound. Turning his head, the teen realized L was the one causing the rather distracting sound, by zealously sucking the leftover sugar granules stuck to his fingers. It wasn't just distracting to him at least, if the muted grunts and growls of annoyance coming from Aizawa and his father were anything to go on. Light noted a slight twitching at the corner of the sweet addict's mouth, and realized the man was deliberately causing more noise than necessary to try and get a rise out of someone. Silently rising from his chair, the auburn haired genius moved over to stand behind the detective. Leaning down to give the impression of discussing something on the computer, Light whispered so only the pale man could hear.

"I don't think I quite realized until now how much of an attention whore you are, Ryuzaki." L paused his incessant noise making to crane his neck around and give a look of blank obliviousness.

"Did Light-kun just call me a whore?" Light had to bite his lower lip harshly to keep from laughing outright at how silly that word sounded coming out of Ryuazki's mouth. Maybe because he said it in the same flat monotone that he said everything else. The teen decided to go for the bait this time around though.

"I called you an attention whore, yes." L's dark eyes widened fractionally as his head tilted to the side.

"You should not use such a vulgar word as whore, Light-kun." Light felt the muscles in his stomach constrict with the effort he was putting into not laughing.

"Stop saying that!" He whispered harshly. With blatant false innocence, L placed a thumb to his lips.

"Saying what? Whore?" Light put a hand on the detective's shoulder and squeezed hard.

"Yes that! Do you even realize how wrong it sounds when you say it?" L's lips quirked up in a half smile.

"But Light-kun called me a whore. I don't think that was called for." Light took a deep breath and exhaled quietly before replying.

"I called you an attention whore, Ryuzaki. There's a difference. You go out of your way to draw attention to yourself." The detective turned his eyes to the ceiling in mock thought before leveling his gaze back on the teen.

"By this definition, Light-kun would be an attention whore as well." Light pinched the bridge of his nose before walking back to his chair, eyes closed in defeat. Not two minutes after returning his focus back to the case work at his computer, the sound of L sucking on sugar coated fingers once again distracted him.

* * *

Light stood in front of the bathroom mirror Rubbing tiredly at his now contact free eye. The teen was ignoring his friend for the moment. The detective's childish mood hadn't lifted the whole day and had been make sucking, slurping, and smacking noises with his food all day. The teen imagined the other detectives had wanted to kill the pale man for being so blatantly annoying. Light, on the other hand, had discovered that later in the day as the sounds got louder; he had started to feel a familiar warm sensation. The teen attributed this to the fact that he had refused to give in to the attention Ryuzaki had obviously been demanding from anyone who would give it, and therefore he had refused to look at him. Unfortunately for Light, since he refused to acknowledge the true source of the noises, this caused his sex deprived, teenaged, hormonal mind to move on to other explanations for said noises.

"Is Light-kun angry with me?" Light shook his head, his auburn hair tossing about slightly with the movement.

"No Ryuzaki I'm not angry. I'm a little annoyed yes, but I'm not angry." The teen moved out of the bathroom and began dressing for the night. Light had decided to simply wear a pair of black cotton pants to bed without a shirt. He found he rather liked the feeling of the sheets against his bare chest. Light jolted when he felt a single slender finger press into the right side of the middle of his back. "Ryuzaki, What are you-"

"Light-kun stated earlier that he has never had a scar before. If you would then, please explain this." Light reached for the specified place on his back. It was a difficult place for him to reach, but when his fingers grazed the spot he knew instantly what it was.

"Oh…I had forgotten all about it. This happened a few years ago. Sayu got a hold of a roman candle and was running around with it. I guess she was trying to play a prank on me. She tried to set it off behind me, but it misfired and hit me. It left a nasty burn. Sayu was about nine at the time. As I said it happened a few years ago." Light turned around and gave a half grin at his friend. "She never touched fireworks again after that."

"You speak of your sister quite fondly, Light-kun." Light sat down on the edge of the bed with a soft smile.

"Yeah well, since dad usually worked late, I was usually the one chasing boogey men out of her closet when she was little. You tend not to forget stuff like that." Light observed as L's thoughts turned inward.

"No…I don't suppose you do." The detective's tone was quiet and knowing. The teen's eyes rounded as mild surprise registered on his features.

"Ryuzaki?" The raven haired man's brow furrowed at the boy in confusion as he settled himself on the bed. "You have siblings?" L pulled his gaze away from the young genius and nibbled lightly at his thumb. "How many? What are their-…oh I guess it would be pretty pointless to ask that." Light put a hand to his chin in thought before rephrasing his question. "Do they have any nicknames?" L ceased the abuse to his thumb, but didn't look at the auburn headed genius.

"Why ask for nicknames, Light-kun?" Light shrugged and lay back on the mattress.

"I'm still a suspect…So it wouldn't really be right for me to ask for their real names now would it?" A small laugh escaped him. "I'm not even sure if we're really talking about a 'they'." L shook his head.

"No you are correct. It is a 'they', however I will not tell you how many, or any names." Light sighed.

"Better than nothing, but considering how you talk about them I'm going to assume that you're the oldest." The detective paused in mid reach for his laptop.

"And how did Light-kun come to this conclusion?" Light merely shrugged.

"It was just an assumption. It's not really based on anything other than how old I assume you are, and how you seemed to understand what I was talking about earlier." L was becoming increasingly uneasy about the subject, and thought to change it. Light beat him to it however. "We can stop talking about it if you want." The detective blinked. Had he really been that transparent with his discomfort? "Well, good night, Ryuzaki." The teen yawned as he sat up long enough to turn out the light and crawl beneath the sheets.

"Ah, good night, Light-kun." As soon as Light's breathing deepened and evened out, L's eyes fell upon his form in the darkness. 3AM…4AM…5AM there was movement. Light began shifting restlessly in his sleep, letting out noises which sounded like discomfort. L decided to wake the distressed teen before it got too bad this time, and reached over to shake his sleeping friend awake. The detective froze when Light groaned in a way that suggested something other than a nightmare.

* * *

OOOO That's gotta be embarassing lol! Just in case there are any questions about the chapter title...The maturity paradox is the fact that they can act like complete children like they did in the surveillence room with the task force, but they still can act much older than they are...Like Light taking care of his sister...and having naughty dreams LoL.

So how many people saw it coming that Misa of all people would be the first to notice something amiss?......Yeah....That's what I thought haha.

Read & Review

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And you will too!


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